1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to methods and systems for transforming, via a zipping mechanism, a compartment of material or fabric into varied shapes or compartments. More particularly, the present invention relates to a multi-zippered device that, with a single pushing or pulling motion, connects two sides of material while simultaneously disconnecting two other sides of material.
2. Background
Several types of multi-zippered devices have been designed for various uses. One multi-zippered device has three rows of zipper teeth, one row of which is shared by two opposing zipper sliders at opposite ends of the shared row of teeth. This device is used to vary the size of, for example, a laundry bag. Another device has two parallel zippers such that one is placed on top of the other. This device is designed to allow, for example, a piece of clothing to vary between two sizes to accommodate weight gain or loss by the person who wears the clothing. Another device has a central interchange through which the ends of a pair of zipper teeth are inserted and through which each row of teeth are thereby interchanged and mated with another pair of zipper teeth. This device inconveniences the user because it requires him or her to manually align and insert the end of a row of zipper teeth into a holed piece in order to connect that row to a new row of zipper teeth.
As can be seen from the examples above, known multi-zippered devices either have limited functionality and/or are complicated and unwieldy to use, thus contributing to their limited commercial success. Hence, a simple-to-use compartmentalizing zipper device would be enthusiastically welcomed and find significant appeal to a wide variety of commercial markets.
The present invention basically comprises a connect-release zipping system having multiple zipper tracks (preferably four), a zipper slider on each of the zipper tracks, and a central connector to which the zipper sliders are affixed. The zipper sliders are fixed to the central connector in such a way that when one of the zipper sliders moves along its respective zipper track, all of the other zipper sliders simultaneously move along their respective zipper tracks. This simultaneous movement causes some zipper tracks to zip together, and some zipper tracks to unzip. The connect-release zipping system may be incorporated into a sleeping bag to allow the bag to easily transform into a jumpsuit.
Accordingly, it is an object of some embodiments of the present invention to provide a simple-to-use device that compartmentalizes material into varying shapes or compartments.
Another object of some embodiments of the present invention is to provide a multi-zippered compartmentalizing device that accomplishes simultaneous zipping and unzipping with a single push or pull of a handle.
Another object of some embodiments of the present invention is to provide a multi-zippered compartmentalizing system wherein a central connector holds multiple zipper sliders in a ring-like formation so that the sliders can be moved along their respective zipper tracks simultaneously.
Yet another object of some embodiments of the present invention is to provide a simple multi-zipper system that transforms a sleeping bag into a jumpsuit without requiring the occupant to exit the sleeping bag.
A further object of some embodiments of the present invention is to provide a method for connecting two edges of material while simultaneously releasing two other edges of material using a series of alternating zippers whose sliders are fixed together by a central connector.
Another object of some embodiments of the present invention is to provide a series of zipper tracks wherein zipper sliders for each track surround and are connected to a central connector having a central handle for pushing or pulling the group of zipper sliders.